Three Yellow Agapanthus 2: Original 24 x 18" cyanotype on paper

18 x 24 inches, unframed.

Though this resembles a block print, it is technically a kind of 19th century cameraless photography called a Cyanotype. It was made using living flowers. It is an original one-of-a-kind monotype on 100% cotton paper, signed on the back.

"Cyan" means blue in Greek and cyanotypes are normally blue and white. This cyanotype started as a blue print but was "toned" or altered in color through a soaking in sodium carbonate, a natural detergent. The darker the original blue print, the darker the yellow will be upon toning (altering the color). The unpredictable bleaching process takes an extra hour or two, and there is always a possibility of destroying the original blue print if random small spots in the original print resist changing color and remain as blue splotches on the yellow. Thus the cost is a bit higher than for my blue cyanotypes of the same size.

All my botanical cyanotypes are one-of-kind monotypes. There is no etched copper plate, no carved wood block, no printing press and no ink to be able to reproduce these images. There is no film negative either. Each is a unique, hand-printed lensless photograph made using real plants from my own garden.